This invention relates to a trap accessory for use in association with an aspirator, in dental or medical procedures; and to the combination of a trap accessory, aspirator, and suction conduit for use in dental and medical procedures.
In the practice of dentistry or other oral treatment or surgery, it is frequently necessary to remove particles of solid material from the mouth during such treatment; and evacuation systems are used for this purpose. In the use of such system, it is frequently desirable to collect particles removed from the mouth for a number of possible reasons. One important recovery purpose is to enable a surgeon to collect, with relative ease, osseous coagulum, which is osseous material to be grafted into boney peridontal defects. In this case, a sterile trap accessory is essential. Another purpose may be to recover valuable metals which have been used in the filling of teeth for example. Another purpose may be to recover materials from the mouth, from wounds, or from other parts of the body for the purpose of laboratory analysis; and in this case, again, a sterile trap accessory is important.
Another important purpose, of a trap accessory according to the invention, may be to assure that particles which are intended to be removed from a wound or body recess by the suction procedure have, in fact, been removed. One example may be the removal of a root tip of a tooth, which tip has broken off during extraction and remains in the socket. Another example may be to remove fragments of foreign bodies which have been detected in a wound by means of X-ray for example. With the use of this trap, the surgeon can immediately ascertain whether or not the root tip has been removed, or whether or not the known number of foreign body fragments have been removed, by inspecting the contents of the trap. This may minimize or eliminate the necessity for additional x-rays to ascertain whether a particle has in fact been removed.
An important object of this invention is to provide a trap accessory which is adapted to be readily inserted in and removed from an evacuation system, between the distal end of the suction line and an aspirator.
Another object of this invention is to provide a trap accessory which is readily disassembled and reassembled, for the purpose of removing collected material, for the purpose of cleaning the parts of the trap, and for sterilization.
A further object of this invention is to provide a trap accessory which is designed for ease of manufacture, and which is versatile in use.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a trap accessory which is readily cleaned and sterilized, and which is adapted for use in recovering materials from the mouth or body, in a sterile condition for immediate reuse or analysis.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a trap accessory, aspirator, and suction conduit combination, with complementary coupling means for coupling the aspirator to the conduit, either with or without the trap accessory.
These objects are accomplished in a trap for selective use with a surgical aspirator and a flexible suction conduit in a medical or dental evacuation system; wherein that system includes a suction conduit which has means at one end defining a coupling orifice and an aspirator having means at one end defining a coupling nipple, wherein the coupling orifice and coupling nipple are configured for complementary coupling and sealing engagement. The trap includes an elongated housing having means defining a coupling nipple at one end, having a through passage including a smaller bore portion at the one end which passes through the coupling nipple, with the through passage including a cylindrical counterbore opening to the other end. The trap further includes a retainer having a cylindrical body dimensioned to be received in the housing counterbore with a sliding sealing fit and having a radially enlarged gripping means at one end for manipulating the retainer relative to the housing. The retainer also has an axial through passage including a coupling orifice at the one end. The trap further includes a filter element confined between the housing and retainer and defining, with these parts, the collection chamber of the trap. The housing coupling nipple is configured for complementary coupling in sealing engagement with the conduit coupling orifice of the system; and the retainer coupling orifice is configured for complementary coupling and sealing engagement with the aspirator coupling nipple of the system.
Another aspect of the invention is the combination of the trap with the aspirator and with the suction conduit, with the suction conduit coupling orifice being configured for alternative complementary coupling and sealing engagement with either the aspirator coupling nipple or with the trap housing coupling nipple, and with the aspirator coupling nipple being configured for alternative complementary coupling and sealing engagement with either the conduit coupling orifice or with the trap retainer coupling orifice.
The novel features and the advantages of the invention, as well as additional objects thereof will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.